Alma, MI – Alma College Softball celebrated senior day on Saturday, hosting Hope College in a conference doubleheader. Alma closed out their regular season with a split, winning 13-5 before falling 4-2.
Alma 13, Hope 5 (6 innings)
In game one, Hope got the on the board first. The visitors scored on an RBI single in the 2
nd, adding another run in the 4
thto lead 2-0. Alma answered in the 5
th, when
Peyton Fether singled home
Lily Thompson to get on the board.
Jordyn Porter would tie things up a moment later with a double to left center, and it was
Julia Duncan who hit a sac fly to center field to score
Sydni Wolverton, giving the Scots the lead at 3-2. Alma led for all of three at bats before Hope tied the game up on an RBI single and took the lead on another RBI single that scored two more runs.
In the bottom of the 6
th, the runs came fast and often for Alma. The Scots hung a 10-spot on the Flying Dutch which wound up ending the ballgame early. Things got started when
Kendal Holzinger hit an RBI single to left field, scoring
Camille Lozmack. The home side scored the tying, and go-ahead runs two batters later on a Hope error. Thing's didn't stop there, as Porter doubled to right center to score another run, making it 7-5, and
Katelyn Thomas platedd two more with a hard hit single past the second baseman. Now leading 9-5, Lozmack and
Sophia Somerset each hit RBI singles, pushing the lead to 12-5, and
Natalia Rodriguez scored Somerset on a single to bring things to an early end.
Holzinger went a blistering 4-4 to lead the offense, and four others had two hits as Alma pounded out 15 base hits.
Morgan Westall got the start in the circle, giving up five runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out six.
Bella Treloar (3-1) pitched 0.2 innings in relief and earned the win, allowing a hit and a walk, but no runs.
Hope 4, Alma 2
In game two, it was Hope who struck first again, scoring two runs on a Scots error in the 1
st inning. The Flying Dutch would add another to their total in the same inning on an RBI single, and the Scots trailed 3-0. There was no scoring until the 6
th inning, when Duncan brought out the big stick, hitting a two-run homer to left center to pull Alma back within one at 3-2. Hope added an insurance run after an Alma error in the bottom of the inning, and the Scots couldn't muster any further scoring, 4-2 the final in Hope's favor.
Duncan led with a 2-3 performance, accounting for all of the Scots scoring in the loss, and three others registered a base hit.
Mikaylyn Kenney (8-5) got the start, pitching 1-1 innings. She allowed three runs (one earned run) on three hits and three walks. Treloar pitched 4.2 innings in relief, allowing just one unearned run on six hits and two walks, while striking out one.
The Scots finish the regular season at 25-11, and their 11-5 mark in MIAA play sees them finish 3
rd in the league. Alma will face either Calvin University or Trine University in the first round of the MIAA softball tournament on Wednesday. The seeding will be finalized after Trine and Kalamazoo play a pair tomorrow afternoon to close out the MIAA regular season.
